Fire cube

ABSTRACT

A fire-starter cube has a combustible box housing having a bottom, four sides and a lid, a crib of stacked wooden slats, the slats arranged around a central chimney, a plurality of openable doors within the sides configured to admit fresh air, a knock-out on the lid configured to permit the exhaust of hot gases, the removal of the knock-out providing an opening to the chimney, wherein as the cube burns, the fresh air enters the doors and exits from the opening, and wherein the air forms a vortex within the chimney. In an embodiment the cube has wooden shavings within the chimney. The doors may be perforated on three sides and the opening of the doors is selectable by a user. The heat of the burning cube bakes the slats before they ignite. In an embodiment, the lid releasably locks onto the sides of the box.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to a firestarter cube.

2. Description of Related Art

Fires have been started for millennia using kindling, paper and morerecently, accelerants such as firestarter. Fire cubes in the art containaccelerants, usually of a petroleum or wax base, that provide heat longenough for adjacent fuel to start burning. However, there is a need fora small, environmentally-friendly fire-starting cube that burns hotenough and long enough to start adjacent fuel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A fire-starter cube has a combustible box housing having a bottom, foursides and a lid, a crib of stacked wooden slats, the slats arrangedaround a central chimney, a plurality of openable doors within the sidesconfigured to admit fresh air, a knock-out on the lid configured topermit the exhaust of hot gases, the removal of the knock-out providingan opening to the chimney, wherein as the cube burns, the fresh airenters the doors and exits from the opening, and wherein the air forms avortex within the chimney.

In an embodiment the cube has wooden shavings within the chimney. Thedoors may be perforated on three sides and the opening of the doors isselectable by a user. The heat of the burning cube bakes the slatsbefore they ignite. In an embodiment, the lid releasably locks onto thesides of the box.

The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, willbe apparent from the following, more particular description of thepreferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, andthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objectsand advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuingdescriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings brieflydescribed as follows.

FIG. 1 shows a front elevation view of the fire cube, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the fire cube, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a left side elevation view of the fire cube, according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a right side elevation view of the fire cube, according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the fire cube, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6a shows an assembled perspective view of the fire cube, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6b shows an assembled top plan view of the fire cube, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7a shows a perspective view of the fire cube showing air flow,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7b shows a plan view of the fire cube showing airflow, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages maybe understood by referring to FIGS. 1-7 b wherein like referencenumerals refer to like elements.

A portable fire cube is described, which is configured to be positionedadjacent to combustible material, in order to assist in igniting thematerial. Typically, complete combustion of the fire cube is achieved in10 to 15 minutes, leaving a minimal of residue, while producing a hot,intense burn that is useful for igniting adjacent fuel such as wood orcharcoal. In an embodiment, there are no accelerants used in the firecube, therefore no unusual toxic emissions are present before and duringburning. The use of natural and 100% recycled materials such as wood,wood-based products and paper-based products such as cardboard reducesenvironmental impact.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the cube 1 is shown from the outside,wherein the front has a door 7, the right side has a right side door 4,the left side has a left side door 6, and the top has a knock out withinchimney opening 3. Each of the doors and the knock out are partially orentirely perforated around their perimeter, such that they can beremoved from the top or side of the cube 1 or bent outwardly, to permitfresh air to enter the cube 1. In an embodiment the doors 4 areperforated on three sides to open and remain attached to the cube, andthe top is perforated around its perimeter to be entirely removable. Thechimney knock out 3 gives access to the chimney 8. The doors may bereleased by breaking the perforation on three sides and angled, so as todirect inflow air to facilitate the vortex effect described furtherbelow. In an embodiment the cube 1 is made of cardboard or pressed woodfiber. The cube 1 may be a rectangle or other angular structure, and isnot limited to a cube shape. The back view is identical to the frontview in an embodiment.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 a-b, the fire cube is constructed usinga plurality (in one embodiment eighteen) of dried pine slats 2, (in anembodiment measuring 2⅞″ by ¾″ by ¼″), which are stacked two slats perlevel, in opposite directions creating a crib like structure 9 insidethe cube 1. In an embodiment, the cube is 3″×3″. This stacking systemcreates a chimney 8 in the center that may be partially filled with drypine shavings (not shown) to facilitate in the initial ignition by amatch or other small heat source. The cube 1 has a knock out 3 in thetop surface, which opens the chimney 8 to the outside and permitscommunication of fresh air with the interior of the cube and hot gaseswith the exterior of the cube. In an embodiment, the cube also has aplurality of doors 4, 6, 7 in the sides, the outline perforated for easeof opening, one opening in each side of the cube 1, wherein the doorsare configured to perform as adjustable vents. These doors 4, 6, 7 andchimney opening 3 allow for a constant flow of air creating a vortexeffect in and around the stacked slats 2 and pine shavings (not shown).The burning of the pine shavings creates enough heat inside the box tobake the slats so the pine slates release their carbon rich gas prior toignition. The ignition produces an intense hot flame that will burn forapproximately 10-15 minutes allowing the kindling that is placed aroundthe fire cube 1 to ignite. In an embodiment the pine slats 2 are heldtogether with brad nails (not shown) in all four corners to maintain theintegrity of the cube 1.

A method of lighting the cube is described. Ignition of the fire cube isaccomplished by using a standard wooden match. Once the match is fullyignited, it is dropped into the top of the chimney opening 3. The drafteffect produced by the chimney opening and the four side vents ensures arapid burning of the shavings and the ignition of the pine slats. Withreference to FIGS. 7a-b , in use, the fresh air enters from the doors 4,6, 7, through the slat crib structure and enters into the chimney 8,where it adds oxygen and combusts. Thereafter, heat and exhaust gasesexit through the top opening 3. The doors 4, 6, 7 are adjustable tocontrol the fresh air inflow and the speed at which the cube burns.Similarly, in an embodiment, the opening 3 size is adjustable bycontrolling the knock-out positioning.

Multiple fire cubes may be combined for a larger fire startingapplication, or where the adjacent fuel is damp, for example. The firecube has a plurality of uses such as a fireplace starter, a wood stovestarter, a camp fire starter, a cooking source, and an emergency heatsource. The fire cube was designed to be a compact, easy to use sourcefor igniting a fire in a woodstove, fire place or campfires.

The fire cube's design takes advantage of the vortex effect createdinitially by the release of hot gases during the initial burn period.That, combined with the cooler fresh air being drawn in through theopening in the sides of the fire cube and the crib like structure of thecombustible material and the extreme temperature difference betweenthese two gases forces the hotter carbon rich gas to the sides of thefire cube. With the opening of the side vent doors, a circular air flowis introduced which completes the requirements for a controlled vortexof fresh air to feed the fire within the cube. The inlet air may becontrolled by selectively adjusting the vents as dampers, to permit moreair when the outside air is still, and restrict air when the outside airis windy. It is because of this vortex effect that the consumption ofthe combustible material produces a burn that is three to five timeshotter than an open burn.

The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments forthe purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the inventioncan be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not beregarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosedherein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with thefollowing claims.

I claim:
 1. A fire-starter cube, comprising: a. a combustible boxhousing having a bottom, four sides and a lid attached to at least oneof the four sides, wherein the box further comprises: i. a plurality ofadjustable doors in communication with at least one of the four sides,wherein at least two of the plurality of adjustable doors are incommunication with adjacent sides, and wherein one of the at least twodoors is positioned higher than any of the other doors; b. a pluralityof wooden slats stacked onto one another, wherein each one of theplurality of wooden slats has a first end and a second end, wherein thefirst end and the second end of each wooden slat contacts a first end ora second end of another wooden slat, and wherein the plurality of woodenslats are arranged around a central chimney, and wherein the pluralityof wooden slats are disposed within the combustible box; d. a knock-outon the lid configured to permit the exhaust of hot gases, the removal ofthe knock-out providing an opening to the chimney, wherein as the cubeburns, the fresh air enters the doors and exits from the opening, andwherein the air forms a vortex within the chimney.
 2. The cube of claim1, further comprising wooden shavings within the chimney.
 3. The cube ofclaim 1 wherein each of the plurality of adjustable doors are perforatedon three sides and the opening of the doors is adjustable by a user. 4.(canceled)
 5. The cube of claim 1, wherein the lid releasably locks ontothe sides of the box.
 6. The cube of claim 3, wherein the user selectsthe opening of the plurality of adjustable doors using a methodcomprising the steps of: a. opening two or more of the plurality ofadjustable doors, wherein one of the two opened doors is higher than theother one of the two or more opened doors; b. air flow circulating in avortex within the box; and c. adjusting the two or more opened doors tocontrol the vortex.
 7. The cube of claim 3, wherein the crib of stackedwooden slats further comprises a plurality of brad nails extendingthrough the first end and the second end of each of the plurality ofwooden slats.